2018 in paleontology
Paleontology or paleontology (from Greek: paleo, "ancient"; ontos, "being"; and logos, "knowledge") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilized feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that are scheduled to occur or be published in the year 2018. Plants Cnidarians Research * A study on the morphology of the conulariid species Carinachites spinatus based on a new specimen collected from the lower Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation (China) will be published by Han et al. (2018). New taxa Arthropods Molluscs Echinoderms Conodonts Fish Amphibians * Fossils of the painted frog Latonia gigantea will be described from the Miocene of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Spain) by Villa et al. (2018), representing the first known record of the species from the Iberian Peninsula. * A redescription and a study of the phylogenetic relationships of Baurubatrachus pricei will be published by Báez & Gómez (2018). * Frog fossils, including the first known fossils of shovelnose frogs, will be described from the early Pliocene of Kanapoi (Kenya) by Delfino (2018). * Description of the anatomy of the skeleton of the chroniosuchian species Bystrowiella schumanni and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of chroniosuchians will be published by Witzmann & Schoch (2018). Lizards and snakes Research * A study on the manus of a putative stem-gekkotan from the Cretaceous amber from Myanmar will be published by Fontanarrosa, Daza & Abdala (2018), who report the presence of adaptations to climbing, including adhesive structures. * A natural cast of the posterior brain, skull vessels and nerves, and the inner ear of Dinilysia patagonica will be described by Triviño et al. (2018). New taxa Ichthyosauromorphs * A reassessment of Ichthyosaurus communis and I. intermedius will be published by Massare & Lomax (2018), who consider the latter species to be a junior synonym of the former. * A neonate specimen of Ichthyosaurus communis will be described by Lomax et al. (2018). Sauropterygians Research * Description of a skull and partial postcranial skeleton of a juvenile elasmosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous Tahora Formation (New Zealand), referred to the species Tuarangisaurus keyesi, will be published by Otero et al. (2018). New taxa Turtles Research * A study on the Early and Middle Triassic turtle tracks and their implications for the origin of turtles will be published by Lichtig et al. (2018). * A study on the anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of Kallokibotion bajazidi based on well-preserved new fossil material will be published by Pérez-García & Codrea (2018). * A restudy of the type material of the Late Cretaceous pan-chelid Linderochelys rinconensis and a description of new fossils of the species will be published by Jannello et al. (2018). New taxa Archosauriformes Pseudosuchians Research * New fossil material of Orthosuchus stormbergi will be described from the Elliot Formation (South Africa) by Dollman, Viglietti & Choiniere (2018). * New specimen of Neuquensuchus universitas, providing new information on the skeletal anatomy of members of the species, will be described from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Argentina) by Lio et al. (2018). * A redescription of the anatomy of the skull of Notosuchus terrestris will be published by Barrios et al. (2018). * A revision of Trematochampsa taqueti and all fossil material assigned to the species will be published by Meunier & Larsson (2018). * Fossils of an eusuchian crocodyliform will be described from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Khok Kruat Formation (Thailand) by Kubo et al. (2018), representing the oldest record of Asian eusuchians reported so far. * Fossils of a specimen of Asiatosuchus depressifrons from the late Paleocene of Mont de Berru (France), representing the oldest European crocodyloid remains reported so far, will be described by Delfino et al. (2018). New taxa Non-avian dinosaurs Research * A study intending to identify the evolutionary processes that drove the diversification of dinosaur body mass will be published by Benson et al. (2018). * Theropod tracksite discovered in the Maastrichtian Nemegt Formation (Mongolia), preserving tracks of least four different trackmakers, and associated with a distorted foot skeleton of Gallimimus, will be described by Lee et al. (2018). * Didactyl theropod tracks with similarities to footprints attributed to small deinonychosaurian theropods will be described from the Middle Jurassic (Aalenian-Bajocian) Dansirit Formation (Iran) by Xing, Abbassi & Lockley (2018). * A study on the early evolution of the theropod hands and wrists, especially on the transition from five- to four-fingered hands, as indicated by the anatomy of the hands of Coelophysis bauri and Megapnosaurus rhodesiensis will be published by Barta, Nesbitt & Norell (2018). * A study on the pneumatization of a noasaurid vertebra recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Adamantina Formation (Brazil) will be published by Brum et al. (2018). * Paulina-Carabajal & Filippi (2018) reconstruct the endocranial cavity enclosing the brain, cranial nerves, blood vessels and the labyrinth of the inner ear of the holotype specimen of Viavenator exxoni. * Description of the osteology of Viavenator exxoni will be published by Filippi et al. (2018). * A study on the diversity of ornithomimosaur dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation (Mongolia) as indicated by the morphology of their manus bones will be published by Chinzorig et al. (2018). * Description of the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of a newly discovered specimen of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum will be published by Novas et al. (2018). * A study on the tail anatomy of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum will be published by Motta, Brissón Egli & Novas (2018). * Histological analysis of the forelimb bones of Daliansaurus liaoningensis will be presented by Shen et al. (2018). * A dinosauriform femur, possibly of a juvenile specimen of the species Pampadromaeus barberenai, will be described from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil by Müller et al. (2018). * A study on the osteology of the sauropodomorph Pulanesaura eocollum will be published by Mcphee & Choiniere (2018). * A study on the geological age of the type locality of Vulcanodon karibaensis will be published by Viglietti et al. (2018), who interpret Vulcanodon as likely to be Sinemurian–Pliensbachian in age, and potentially ∼10–15 million years older than previously thought. This makes it the oldest known sauropod. * A sauropod footprint assigned to the ichnogenus Brontopodus, produced by a trackmaker of the size exceeding that of any Mongolian dinosaur reported so far from skeletal material, will be described from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation (Mongolia) by Stettner, Persons & Currie (2018). * Postcranial remains attributable to the holotype specimen of Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis will be described from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation (Mongolia) by Currie et al. (2018), who consider Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii to be a probable junior synonym of N. mongoliensis. * A study on the morphological diversity of stegosaurs through the evolutionary history of the group will be published by Romano (2018). * A study on the neuroanatomy of ankylosaurid dinosaurs based on skull endocasts of Talarurus plicatospineus and Tarchia teresae will be published by Paulina-Carabajal et al. (2018). * A redescription of Iguanodon galvensis and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the species will be published by Verdú et al. (2018). * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of Nipponosaurus sachalinensis will be published by Takasaki et al. (2018). * A description of the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of Yinlong downsi and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of basal ornithischians will be published by Han et al. (2018). New taxa Birds * A new confuciusornithid specimen, most similar to Eoconfuciusornis zhengi but also sharing traits with Confuciusornis, will be described from the Upper Cretaceous Huajiying Formation (China) by Navalón et al. (2018). * A study on the microstructure of the bones of Vegavis iaai will be published by Garcia Marsà, Agnolín & Novas (2018). * A nearly complete tarsometatarsus of the least seedsnipe (Thinocorus rumicivorus) will be described from the Ensenadan of Argentina by Picasso, De Mendoza & Gelfo (2018). * Petralca austriaca, originally thought to be an auk, is reinterpreted as a member of Gaviiformes by Göhlich & Mayr (2018). * Pedal phalanx of a penguin affected by osteomyelitis will be described from the Eocene of West Antarctica by Jadwiszczak & Rothschild (2018). * A study on the fossil bird remains from the Pliocene locality of Kanapoi (Kenya), indicating presence of many aquatic birds, will be published by Field (2018). Pterosaurs Research * A new juvenile specimen of Pteranodon (the smallest reported so far) will be described from the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Formation (Kansas, United States) by Bennett (2018). * A giant humerus of a tapejaroid pterosaur will be described from the Upper Cretaceous Plottier Formation (Argentina) by Ortiz David, González Riga & Kellner (2018). * A new thalassodromine specimen will be described from the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation (Brazil) by Buchmann et al. (2018), providing new information on the anatomy of the postcranial skeleton of members of the group. New taxa Other archosauriforms * A study on the microstructure of the long bones (femur and tibiae) of Lewisuchus admixtus will be published by Garcia Marsà, Agnolín & Novas (2018). * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of Pisanosaurus mertii will be published by Agnolín & Rozadilla (2018), who interpret the taxon as a likely silesaurid. New taxa Other reptiles * A study on the anatomy of the skeleton of Pappochelys rosinae will be published by Schoch & Sues (2018). * A study on the taphonomy of the skeletons of Tanystropheus longobardicus from the Middle Triassic Besano Formation (Monte San Giorgio, Switzerland) and its implications for inferring whether Tanystropheus was terrestrial or aquatic will be published by Beardmore & Furrer (2018). Synapsids Non-mammalian synapsids * A description of the postcranial material referable to the caseid species Ennatosaurus tecton will be published by Romano, Brocklehurst & Fröbisch (2018). * A skull of a juvenile specimen of Anteosaurus magnificus is described from the Permian Abrahamskraal Formation (South Africa) by Kruger, Rubidge & Abdala (2018). * Right dentary with teeth of Prozostrodon brasiliensis will be described from the Late Triassic of Brazil by Pacheco et al. (2018), representing the second known specimen of this species. * A study on the origin and relationships of ictidosaurian cynodonts, i.e. tritheledontids and therioherpetids, will be published by Bonaparte & Crompton (2018). Mammals Other animals Research * A study on the phylogenetic relationships of the rangeomorphs, dickinsoniomorphs and erniettomorphs as indicated by what is known of the ontogeny of the rangeomorph Charnia masoni, dickinsoniomorph Dickinsonia costata and erniettomorph Pteridinium simplex will be published by Dunn, Liu & Donoghue (2018), who consider at least the rangeomorphs and dickinsoniomorphs to be metazoans. * Description of new morphological features of the Cambrian mobergellan Discinella micans will be published by Skovsted & Topper (2018). * A study on the slab with a dense aggregation of members of the species Banffia constricta recovered from the Cambrian Burgess Shale (Canada) and its implications for life habits of the animal will be published by Chambers & Brandt (2018). New taxa Other organisms General paleontology Research related to paleontology that either does not concern any of the groups of the organisms listed above, or concerns multiple groups. * A study on the patterns of diversity change and extinction selectivity in marine ecosystems during the Triassic–Jurassic interval, especially in relation to the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, will be published by Dunhill et al. (2018). Category:Paleontology